The twentieth century way of life has been made available, largely due to the miracle of cheap energy. The price of energy has been at record lows for the past century and a half.As oil becomes increasingly scarce, it is becoming obvious to everyone, that the rapid economic and industrial growth we have enjoyed for that time is not sustainable.Now, the hunt is on. For renewable sources of energy, for alternative sources of energy, for a way of life that is less dependent on cheap energy.Â
Scientists working for Ceravision, a company based in Milton Keynes, in Britain, have designed a new form of lamp that eliminates the need for electrodes, reported The Economist (8/9/2007, p.4). Their device uses microwaves to transform electricity into light. It consists of a relatively small lump of aluminium oxide into which a hole has been Continue Reading →
Professor Andrew Makers, director, ARC Centre for Solar Energy Systems Australian, National University argued that "Contrary to the assertions of Peter Lang (Letters, July 31, August 27), a renewable energy future was eminently feasible and no more costly than other low-emission technologies", in a letter to The Canberra Times (30/80/07, p. 24). Management of renewable Continue Reading →
The biggest issue confronting the NSW energy market in terms of costs and security of supply is not baseload generation, rather it is how it deals with skyrocketing and inefficient costs driven by rapidly increasing peak demand, according to the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy submission to the Owen Inquiry into Electricity Supply in NSW (June 2007).
The Victorian desalination plant would be carbon-neutral, said Kaye Darveniza, State Labor member for Northern Victoria, (18/7/007), and renewable energy will be purchased run the Victorian water desalination plant.
Carbon-neutral plant: "The desalination plant, which will be in the Wonthaggi area, will cost some $3.1 billion and will be in operation by 2011. This will be one of the largest desalination plants in the world. Sufficient renewable energy will be purchased to offset the anticipated needs – some 90 megawatts of electricity. This plant will be carbon neutral, which is very significant when you think about the fact that we are in climate change and we need to take the amount of greenhouse gases and energy that we are using into consideration with any of the infrastructure projects we are putting in place.
Marc Peckham’s shipping container and 1975 horse float are the working parts of one of Australia’s only completely solar and windpowered recording studios, reported The Age (6/7/2007).
Solar power fuels Combat Wombat rapper: To say that the 34-year-old former geologist – better known as Monkey Marc of Melburnian activist hip-hop crew Combat Wombat – is proud of his latest do-it-yourself creation was something of an understatement. "It just works, you know," he announced proudly. "I’ve just had three or four weeks where I was just writing heaps of music in here, all on solar, all working fine. It pumps along.”
Scientists believed depleted fish stocks have removed competition for jellyfish, allowing them to breed to plague proportions, reported The Courier Mail (18/6/2007, p.13). Plagues of stingers: Jellyfish blooms, where the creatures multiply rapidly into untold millions: • clog water intakes on ships and power stations; • ruin fishing nets; and • can wreck engines. Dr Continue Reading →